Quidditch Rules
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General Rules
Scheduling
All matches are generally scheduled for Saturdays, 9pm HOL Time (or 4pm US EST, 1pm US PST).
The preliminary schedule for all 12 matches is posted in the HOL Forum and on the Quidditch Arena page. All matches can be re-scheduled if needed. If one team wants to reschedule, the team captain has to contact the captain of the other team and negotiate a new day and time for the match. Both captains then have to email the Quidditch Board (quidditch@hol.org.uk) with the new day and time, at the latest one week in advance of the originally scheduled day. If there is no rescheduling notice from both captains one week in advance, the match will be played on the originally scheduled day, unless the HOL Quidditch Board decides otherwise.
Referees
All four teams are invited to provide a referee for all the matches they are not involved in. For example, if Gryffindor plays Hufflepuff, then Ravenclaw and Slytherin can provide one referee each for this match, one for quaffle play and one for snitch play. Referees will earn 25 points for their house. The names of the referees are usually posted on the Quidditch Arena page at least a couple of days in advance.
If a house fails to provide a referee for a match, the HOL Quidditch Committee invites a referee at their own convenience. Referees can be students or staff, where in case of a staff referee no house points are awarded.
Players
Each team consists of seven players. For Quaffle play: 3 Chasers, 2 Beaters and 1 Keeper; and one seeker for the Snitch. The team captains are solely responsible for deciding who plays what position in the a match.
Important:The team rosters have to be emailed to the Head of the Quidditch Board and to both referees at least 24 hours in advance. The roster can contain up to three reserves for Quaffle play and one reserve seeker. Positions do not have to be specified on the emailed roster, just their HOL Names. Changes from the emailed roster are only acceptable if both HOL Quidditch Committee and the opponent's team captain agrees.
The seven players who are in the arena at the beginning of a match are the only ones who will play - if one does not show up on time, the captain nominates one of the reserve players as substitute. During a match, no substitutes are allowed, not for any reason (disconnected, forced off).
Gameplay
Quaffle Play
The match starts with a question directed to all chasers
Question #1: 3 Chasers vs. 3 Chasers
Question #2: 3 Chasers (of the team who answered correctly) vs. 2 opposing team's Beaters
* Beater wins --> Beater's team's Chasers vs. opposing Beaters (#2) * Chaser wins --> then...
If no one knows the answer to any question, back to Question #1
Question #3: 1 Chaser vs. 1 Keeper
* Keeper wins --> Keeper's team's Chasers vs. opposing Beaters (#2) * Chaser wins --> 10 points to the Chaser who scored's team. (Keeper's team's Chasers vs. Beaters - #2)
If no one knows the answer to any question, back to Question #1
The Bludger
It is the referee's decision when to yell "BLUDGER". In this case, all quaffle players have to type "dodge" as soon as possible. The catch is - only the first three dodges from each team are counted. The captain of the team that gets their three dodges first may pick an opponent to sit out until the next goal is scored. Opponents who typed "dodge" before the winning three dodges were registered may not be bludgered.
- The Keeper may not be hit by the bludger unless the quaffle is in the scoring area. (PoA Chapter 15, pg 309-310 hardcover.)
- "dodge" must be spelled correctly in order to have successfully dodged the bludger! (The One Letter Rule does not apply)
Snitch Play
Introduction
Snitch Play is a two player strategy game, melding logic, trivia, and other game-specific strategy into one.
At the beginning of the game, both seekers receive the opening clue to the logic puzzle. During the course of the match, both seekers will attempt to locate all five main clues, solve the puzzle, and enter the Snitch Square before his or her opponent does the same. They do this by navigating a 13 by 13 square grid.
Squares are referred to by a form of modified algebraic notation, with (0,0) being the northwest-most square and (12,12) being the southeast-most square. The (X,Y) notation form follows the "run over rise" style -- the X number indicating how far over horizontally and the Y number indicating how far down vertically. As such, Player A, who starts in the southwest corner, begins in square (0,12); Player B, who starts in the northeast corner, begins in square (12,0).
On a seeker's turn, he or she must move up, down, left, or right on the grid, into a new square.
SnitchPlay is divided into "levels" of ten minutes each, separated by "breaks" of two minutes each. All actual gameplay (movement, square resolution) is done during each level. However, a seeker may work on the logic puzzle and/or submit a proposed answer during the two minute break. If a seeker is on a seventeen minute clock for submitting an proposed answer that was incorrect, the two minute break -does- count towards that time. More on that later.
Types of Squares
Introduction
On the Snitch grid are six types of squares, indicative of six events that occur at a specific point above the Quidditch Pitch. Each event does something different, and not all events are beneficial to the player which triggers them. The six types of events are as follows: trivia, clue, bludger, Wronski Feint, Snitch, and empty.
Empty Squares
An empty square is exactly that -- empty. When a seeker enters an empty square, he or she is privately notified that the square is empty, and the turn immediately ends. The SnitchRef will -never- publicly announce that a player has entered an empty square, for reasons that will be explained in the "clue square" segment.
Trivia Squares
A trivia square is a square that, among other things, submits a Harry Potter trivia question to the seekers. It will appear as trivia questions appear in Quaffle Play, and is resolved in exactly the same manner (with a countdown, et cetera). All spelling and answering rules applicable to Quaffle Play are also applicable to the resolution of a trivia square in Snitch Play.
When a player enters a trivia square, the following occurs:
- First, an empty square on the grid is randomly chosen and immediately becomes a trivia square.
- Next, the current square immediately becomes an empty square
- Lastly, the resolution of the trivia question occurs.
It is important to note this distinction, as a square that was previously marked as "trivia" can later be announced as "empty," and vice versa. All players have the right to answer trivia questions from trivia squares at all times in the match, regardless of whose turn it is or any other factor.
Clue Squares
There are five clue squares on the grid. When a seeker enters a clue square, the following occurs:
- First, the clue is privately sent to the player.
- Next, the turn immediately ends.
It is important to note this distinction, because to the inactive player (the player whose turn it isn't), a clue square will appear exactly the same as an empty square. Only the player who actually entered the clue square knows otherwise. Understanding this aspect of Snitch Play is vitally important.
While it is possible to accidentally land on a clue square ("randoming"), it's highly unlikely. The best way to do it is to correctly answer trivia questions from trivia squares. If a seeker correctly answers a trivia question, he or she is given a trivia point. When a player has exactly five trivia points, he or she is privately told the location of their next clue square. The first time a player enters a location they have been given, all of their trivia points are taken from them. While this sounds like a bad thing, it isn't: a player can only receive a clue square location during the transition from four trivia points to five trivia points. A player gets nothing when he or she reaches ten, fifteen, or any multiple of five thereafter.
Once a player has entered all five clue squares, he or she will be notified that they have all the information necessary to solve the puzzle. When that player believes he or she has, indeed, solved the puzzle, he or she must privately submit their proposed answer to the SnitchRef. If the proposed answer is the correct answer, the SnitchRef will privately notify the player of the Snitch square's location. If the proposed answer is not the correct answer, the following occurs:
- First, the SnitchRef starts a seventeen minute timer.
- Next, the SnitchRef notifies the player that his or her guess was incorrect.
That seeker may submit a second proposed answer when (and only when) one or both of two things occurs: the seventeen minute timer expires OR the other seeker submits a proposed answer (whether or not the opponent's proposed answer was correct). When one of these two events occurs, the SnitchRef will privately notify the player that he or she may submit another proposed answer.
Clue Square Quirks
A few points of note about clues and clue squares:
- Each specific clue square is assigned one (and only one) clue. As such, all players will always receive the same clue from any given clue square.
- No player will be told a location of a clue square they have already visited, either accidentally or deliberately.
- Player A will receive clue locations in the following order: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
- Player B will receive clue locations in the following order: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
- If a player has aleady entered the clue square that they are due to be given from trivia points, they are given the next location on the list. For example, if Player A accidentally enters clue square #1 before he or she earns five trivia points, Player A will be given the location to clue square #2 when he or she receives five trivia points.
- It is sometimes possible to solve the entire puzzle with only four (or -extremely- rarely, three) clues. However, due to game constraints, a seeker may not officially 'solve' the puzzle until he or she has entered all five clue squares.
The Snitch Square
The Snitch square follows all rules of an empty square -except- when a seeker has submitted the correct answer to the SnitchRef (and, therefore, has been given the location of the Snitch square). Then, and only then, does the Snitch square act in the following manner:
- A player who has been given the location of the Snitch square has the right to enter that square and immediately end the game, giving fifty bonus points to his or her team.
- A player who has not been given the location of the Snitch square will not trigger the square's game-ending ability. It will function as an empty square, just as it has been.
Bludger Squares
Entering a bludger square will knock a seeker out for three turns. A seeker who is under this penalty is considered "bludgered". A bludgered seeker may still answer trivia questions, submit proposed answers to the SnitchRef, and perform all other actions a seeker would otherwise have the right to perform.
Wronski Feint Squares
Entering a Wronski Feint square will knock the opponent out for five turns. It's essentially a "reverse bludger" with extra knockout power. Upon entering a Wronski Feint square, the following occurs:
- First, the Wronski Feint square immediately becomes an empty square.
- Next, the resolution of the Wronski Feint square occurs.
Conclusion
All trivia, bludger, and Wronski Feint squares become public information upon access. This means that all players know exactly when such a square has been triggered. This is -almost- the case for empty squares, as the SnitchRef's silence can be interpreted as an announcement that a specific square is empty; however, as indicated above, the SnitchRef is equally silent when a clue square (or the snitch square) is entered.
It is critical to remember that the Snitch grid is always changing. There are always ten bludger squares on the grid. There are always five clue squares on the grid. There is always one Snitch square on the grid. Those locations never change. However, despite the fact that there are always 100 trivia squares on the grid, the locations of those 100 squares (and, relatedly, the empty squares) can change. The Snitch match begins with two Wronski Feint squares, but this number may become one or zero as players enter them. Conversely, the Snitch match begins with 51 empty squares, but this number may become 52 or 53 as players enter Wronski Feint squares.
Miscellaneous Rules
- When a seeker catches the Snitch, all Quaffle activity following the completion of the current active question does not count towards the final result.
- If neither seeker solves the puzzle and enters the Snitch Square within 90 minutes (approximately seven levels, seven breaks, and six minutes into level eight), the game ends immediately with neither team earning the 50 point bonus.
- Note that it is sometimes impossible to move in a specific direction, as players cannot fly off of the edges of the map. A player must select to move in a direction that will keep them on the grid.
- Players may not pass the turn: if he or she is scheduled to move, he or she must move. This rule is important to note because it is sometimes advantageous to make no move in specific rare instances. Nevertheless, that player must move.
- A seeker who receives the location to the Snitch square is not obligated to enter it. Very rarely does this fact become an issue, but there are circumstances where it is advantageous to a seeker to prolong the match as best they can.
- No clue or snitch squares will ever be located in any square that has a 0, 1, 11, or 12 in its algebraic notation. In other words, the outer two rows and columns will never contain clue or snitch squares.
Some rule clarifications
- For the seekers it is now strictly forbidden to share the snitch clues with ANYONE. Where "anyone" means any other person. If any seeker is caught sharing the clues ANYWHERE the snitch is lost immediately and the quaffle play will go on for another 30 minutes or until the 90 minute mark has been reached. This means the other team will win the 50 points!
- There is also no other house person allowed in #snitch. The only persons allowed in #snitch are: the seekers, the ref and the members of the Quidditch Board
- Quaffle: We strongly recommend that players type in their answers instead of copy/pasting it from other places
- The team room is considered being part of the team play, and in theory you can search for answers. We can't make rules for what we can not control fairly but in the spirit of the game we encourage everyone to type their answers.
- Any script or bot to look for answers are STRICTLY forbidden
- Team (co)captains will see to the punishments of players that don't follow the rules above
Spelling Rules
Spelling, Abbreviations, Keywords etc. in the Trivia Part of HOL Quidditch
In HOL Quidditch, it does not matter what you "meant", but only what you actually typed. As it is all about speed, these rules have been established to ensure a fair gameplay. These rules are valid for Quaffle Play and Snitch Play
One-Letter Rule
When submitting an answer to a trivia question, only one spelling mistake is allowed -- more than one mistake makes the answer automatically incorrect. Punctuation marks, apostrophes etc., do not count! All numbers that might be in the answer have to be correct. Switching two consecutive letters count as one mistake!
Question: What is Harry Potter's house in Hogwarts? Answer: Gryffindor (correct) Answer: Gryffindoor (correct) Answer: Gryffndor (correct) Answer: Gryffundor (correct) Answer: Gryffidnor (correct) Answer: Grifindor (wrong) Answer: Griffidnor (wrong)
Numbers
Numerical characters are allowed.
Question: How many gold teeth does Prof. Trelawney have? Answer: 3 (correct) Answer: three (correct)
Abbreviations
No abbreviations are allowed! Submitting a quick answer is critical for success. Nothing in the answer, that is required to make the answer correct, should be abbreviated.
Answer: Gryffindor (correct) Answer: Gryff (wrong)
Answer: Professor Snape (correct) Answer: Prof. Snape (wrong)
Answer: 50 feet (correct) Answer: 50 ft. (wrong)
Full Names
If the answer is a character name, it is not allowed to shorten the name. All names have to be either First Name + Last Name or Title + Last Name. This rule is also valid for all main characters as Harry (Harry Potter), Ron (Ron Weasley), Hermione (Hermione Granger) or Hagrid (Rubeus Hagrid).
Question: Who is Hogwarts Headmaster? Answer: Professor Dumbledore (correct) Answer: Professor Albus Dumbledore (correct) Answer: Albus Dumbledore (correct) Answer: Dumbledore (wrong) Answer: Prof. Dumbledore (wrong)
Question: Who are Harry's best friends? Answer: Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger (correct) Answer: Ron and Hermione (wrong)
Keywords
All the above rules apply only for the "keywords" needed to make the answer correct. Many questions can be answered with different "phrases", as long as the keywords are included, the referee gives the answer as correct. What exactly the keywords, needed for a correct answer are, is the decision of the referee only
Question: What uniform do the Hogwarts house elves wear? The answer the referee has on file is: "A tea towel stamped with the Hogwarts crest, tied like a toga." It now depends on the referee's decision, what keywords he expects to be included in the answer. "tea towel" only, "tea towel" and "toga" or "tea towel", "toga" and "crest".
